Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the manufacturing of medical devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for remote manufacturing of medical devices.
Related Art
In the medical device industry, rapid design and fabrication of components is paramount. Not only must products be manufactured in accordance with stringent standards, they must also be manufactured sufficiently quickly to meet customer demands. Remote manufacturing of medical devices has been explored in the orthopedics space, but has met with limited success. In the past, several factors contributed to the limited success of such efforts, but implant design issues remain the largest obstacle.
In the mechanical engineering space, robust technologies exist and are being developed which allow for the rapid prototyping and manufacturing of components, such as three-dimensional (3D) printing of components, interchangeably referred to as additive manufacturing, and other techniques. While these technologies are finding use in various fields of endeavor, to date, there has been limited success applying such technologies to the fabrication of medical components. Manufacturing of such devices has several advantages over traditional medical device manufacturing methods, including, but not limited to, reduction in cost, capability for customization, unique manufacturing capabilities, reduction in the number of machines required to manufacture a device, and reduction in human resources required to manufacture a device.
It would also be beneficial to manufacture medical devices at remote facilities, including but not limited to medical facilities, using the foregoing techniques. By providing the capability to remotely manufacture medical devices at remote locations, further advantages could be realized, including reduction in shipping costs, reduction in corporation inventory, more potential for customization of medical devices, and reduction in corporation manufacturing equipment.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for remote manufacturing of medical devices which address the foregoing needs.